NEW PRODUCTION. RADA FESTIVAL June 30th to July 8th 2017 UNTOUCHABLE by Peter Oswald directed by Kathryn Hunter
At school, he wasn’t allowed to sit on the chairs. He had to sit on the ground on a sack. He was forbidden from drinking the water meant for the children. The teacher would beat the others, but throw stones at him. Why? He was an Untouchable, any contact with him and his fellow caste-less people meant contamination, pollution, to be avoided at all cost. n Untouchable child. A child who, against incredible odds grew up to become free India’s first Law minister and architect of the Indian constitution. A man who became the leader that opposed Gandhi, and who went to extraordinary lengths to free his people from the shackles of oppression.
This is the story of Dr. Bimrao Ambedkar, born an “Untouchable” who led his people towards liberation: A story that provokes us to ask: Why we, despite the struggle of great men and women, continue to oppress one another? What can we do to change? How do we respond when we witness oppression?
Written by Peter Oswald
Directed by Kathryn Hunter
Assistant Director: Ragga Dahl Johansen
Artistic Associate: Jatinder Verma (Tara Arts)
Compose and musician: Mrityunjoy
BSL Interpreter: Katie Fenwick
Cast: Kali Chandrasegaram; Gavi Singh Chera; Harry Gostelow; Adam Karim; Nadia Nadarajah; Neerja Naik; Irfan Shamji; Julia Tarnoky
Kathryn Hunter
Actress and director. RADA graduate.
There will be a post-show Q&A following the performance on Wed 5 July.
There will be a pre-show at 6pm on Thu 6 July with:
Kathryn Hunter, Director
Peter Oswald, Writer
Jatinder Verma, Artistic Associate
Ciaran Maguire, Chief Executive Officer, The Karuna Trust
Performances on Wed 5, Thu 6, Sat 8 will be British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted and are suitable for both D/deaf and hearing audiences.
Book your tickets
EGIL. Bike Shed Theatre 7-9 November 2016
Foxhole Theatre Company (see below) ie myself and Howard Gayton, are performing Egil, my 60-minute (or slightly more) rhyming version of the Icelandic Saga of the Viking poet Egil, at The Bike Shed, Exeter, 7-9 November. Howard is there only on the 9th, as he has to teach at East 15 - on the 9th he'll be accompanying with electric guitar, cajon, spoons, kazoo, mandolin etc. This is shaping up to be a highly unusual show. We are delighted that Rosie Race, who is to play Beatrice in DANTE AND BEATRICE, is working on EGIL for us as producer. We aim to set up a tour for next year. We have another date at Dartington in December, details to follow.
Commedia
I am developing a new commedia company, FOXHOLE THEATRE COMPANY, with Howard Gayton, who was the director of Ophaboom Theatre Company.
We have developed a two-hander commedia script, Sorry About the Poetry, to be performed by the two of us.
We have decided to precede this with a tour of my poem EGIL. This is a one-hour version in rhyming verse, of the saga of the outrageous Viking poet Egil. Howard accompanies on electric guitar, mandolin and percussion. There will be a small set in the form of a curtain, and some costume, though not period. We reckon this will be a highly portable, highly entertaining, visceral piece of poetry performance/theatre, informed by our Commedia explorations.
EGIL opens at the Bike Shed Theatre, November 7th 2016. There are performances on the 8th and 9th, but these will be without Howard, who will be replaced by a small cd player.
Riotous Company
I have written some script for the latest show by RIOTOUS COMPANY, Scherzo for Piano and Stick, which is on at the Print Room, Notting Hill Gate, Oct.17-20 2016. THE STAGE described the text as - 'Peter Oswald's deceptively simple, mesmeric verse'.
Book Launch and further sonnet performances
My book SONNETS OF VARIOUS SIZES, published by Shearsman, is launched on 11th Oct. 2016 at Swedenborg House, Bloomsbury, London.
Next performance - of both Sonnets, and HELEN (but probably not in black headscarf)
Plymouth: 2 November 2016
7:00pm
University of Plymouth
Devonport Lecture Theatre
Portland Square
Three Folktales
I performed Three Folktales in 2015 at: The Folger Theatre, Washington DC, the Hay Festival, the Wells Festival, the Flavel Centre, Totnes Cinema and others. A tour is being planned for 2016, taking in Britain and the US. Watch this space for dates and times.
Meanwhile, here's a three minute video about it and a short film of its beginning.